


Company

by Jubilee44



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Civil War (Marvel), F/M, Neighbors, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 04:50:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14663664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jubilee44/pseuds/Jubilee44
Summary: While hiding out in Bucharest, Bucky Barnes has a neighbor who doesn’t really understand that he’s trying to lay low. Camelia believes in hospitality even if her neighbor is a large, quiet, skittish man with a metal arm.





	Company

            The first time Camelia knocked on his door, she brought papanasi, a traditional dessert. She said she noticed him moving in and wanted to welcome him into the apartment building.

            Bucky was taken aback by her upfront hospitality. He wasn’t sure the last time he’d had something home baked.

            She asked if he needed help unpacking.

            He told her no. The only belongings he had to his name fit in his backpack. He assumed she would be suspicious if she found he was living in an empty apartment.

            Camelia smiled and said she would see him around. But Bucky didn’t know how long he’d be in Bucharest.

 

            He was tired. Running wasn’t easy. Not sleeping didn’t help. Living in a brain fog made everything impossible. At least in Hydra, he had some semblance of identity. He was the Winter Soldier. He was a weapon.

            Then Camelia continued knocking on his door.

            She made cookies and gave him half of the batch.

            She dropped her keys and wondered if he had come across them on the stairs.

            She bought too many plums and offered a few to him so they wouldn’t go bad.

            She informed him she had found her keys; they were in her pocket the whole time.

            She wondered if he wanted some company for dinner.

            It was hard to turn her down. She had a beautiful smile and a soft nature that gently coaxed him out of his fog. She invited him over to dinner many nights. Her cooking was equally as enticing as her warm eyes and cozy apartment.

            They mostly talked about the goings on in the world. Bucky didn’t say much about himself. But he gave her the impression that he was from Romania. She never doubted him because he was fluent.

            Camelia was single. Her husband left her after she miscarried their first child. This was a shock to Bucky. She seemed so loving. Not only could he believe anyone would leave such a woman, for something beyond her control, but her demeanor also surprised him. At first glance, anyone would say she probably had a good life. But she was damaged and merely took it in stride.

            Bucky became a little more conscious about his appearance with Camelia came over. At first, he didn’t realize what was happening. It had been some time since he’d been romantically interested in someone. The last one had been a part of the KGB with him. He couldn’t remember her name, only her red hair.

            Now he was interested in Camelia’s hazel eyes. He made sure he was showered and his hair was pulled back. He didn’t bother making his apartment presentable because he always went over to her unit across the hall.

            Then one night, she arrived at his door with a crock of soup.

            _“I have men in my flat fixing a leak. Is it okay if we eat here?_ ”

            Bucky glanced over his shoulder at his pitiful room. He only had a mattress and a couch for furniture and newspapers covered his windows. He was paranoid about being discovered. “Uh _…I haven’t cleaned.”_

“ _It’s fine_.” She smiled.

            He realized he needed to return some of the hospitality she had shown him. “ _Come in_.” He nodded and held the door open wider for her.

            Camelia saw herself inside. She set the soup on the stove. “ _Why do you cover the windows?_ ” She asked casually. The room didn’t seem to bother her.

            “ _I need to fix the insulation. They are drafty.”_ He replied with the best lie he could think of on the spot.

            _“Mine are as well.”_ She agreed and started fixing them dinner.

            He was grateful she brought along dishware because he only had some plastic knives left over from a takeout order. He only kept the knives. The soldier inside of him wanted to hoard as many potential weapons as he could.

            _“James, I wanted to thank you for keeping me company these past weeks.”_ She said as she handed him a bowl of soup.

            “ _You don’t need to thank me.”_ He offered her a seat on the old couch while he sat on the edge of the mattress.

            _“I’ve been so lonely since Adrian left.”_ Camelia sat cross-legged on the small sofa. She stirred her spoon a little before glancing up at him.

            It was the first time he’d seen her cry. It shattered something in his chest. He stood and grabbed a small packet of tissues he had found earlier that day in his backpack. He offered them to her and she took a few with a sad smile.

            _“I shouldn’t be crying.”_ She sniffled, dabbing her cheeks and eyes.

            “ _It’s okay to cry.”_ He said quietly.

            She sighed and shook her head. “ _I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your presence.”_ Her smile wobbled.

            _“I appreciate your presence too.”_ Bucky returned the smile.

            Unsure.

            Hesitant.

            Cautious.

 

            The next morning, Camelia and Bucky went to the market down the street from their building. He didn’t get out much, he was afraid to be spotted by someone who might recognize him for any reason. There were a lot of people who probably wanted him dead or in handcuffs.

            But it was fairly sunny out and he couldn’t say no to Camelia’s offer of accompanying her. They chatted as she bought vegetables and fruit for dinner. After about an hour of walking, they were about to return.

            Bucky glanced across the street and noticed a man in a newspaper stand eyeing him. There was a look of realization in the man and he reached for something.

            “James.” Camelia noticed he had stopped walking.

            “ _Hang on a minute.”_ He said and crossed the street. As he did, the man panicked and ran from the stand. Bucky reached for the newspaper on the front counter and read the headline.

            _“Are you okay?”_ Camelia stood a few feet behind him.

            “ _There was an explosion at the United Nations?”_ He asked as he stared at the picture accompanying the words.

            “ _Yeah, I heard about it on the news this morning.”_

            Bucky turned and pulled his baseball cap further over his eyes. He touched Camelia’s shoulder and guided her back across the street. He didn’t want her seeing his picture in the newspaper.

            _“What’s wrong?”_ She could sense a change in his behavior.

            “ _Nothing, we should get back._ ” He avoided eye contact with anyone who passed them. He did his best to keep from running so he wouldn’t alarm her. But being out in the open made him feel like a wild animal. As they walked, he realized he would need to leave Bucharest. He glanced over at Camelia and she smiled at him. For the first time, he dreaded the idea of bolting.

            They walked up to their floor and she followed him into his apartment without really asking. He was about to say something to her when he realized the apartment wasn’t as empty as it usually was.

            Captain America was standing in his tiny kitchenette.

            Bucky froze and caused Camelia to nearly run into him.

            Then Steve turned around. There was a tense minute of silence. “You know me?” He asked.

            “You’re Steve.” Bucky’s jaw clenched as he swallowed. “I read about you in the museum.”

            Camelia was alarmed to here Bucky speak in such a perfect American accent. It was like he was a completely different voice. “ _Who is this man?”_ She asked warily.

            “ _He’s American,_ ” Bucky replied.

            “ _An American who can speak different languages,”_ Steve grumbled. “I know you’re nervous, you have plenty of reason to be, but you’re lying.”

            Bucky didn’t know what to tell him. That he had flashbacks of a small, blond-headed kid? The same man in a different body fought alongside him? That he was in the same exhibit that this man was in? It was all too confusing to even put into words. But he realized this man probably knew about the bombing.

            “I wasn’t in Vienna.” He told him. “I don’t do that anymore.”

            “Well the people who think you did are coming here now,” Steve replied, fully believing his old friend. “And they’re not planning on taking you alive.”

            “That’s smart, good strategy.” He mumbled.

            _“What’s going on, James?”_

            Bucky turned and his blood ran cold. Camelia.

            He could fight back Special Forces all day. But he needed to keep Camelia safe. He turned to Steve. “She’s innocent, we need to make sure she’s safe.”

            “This doesn’t have to end in a fight.” Steve’s eyes were pleading.

            Camelia didn’t understand a word either of them was saying, but she knew something was wrong. She heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs outside the door. She looked over at Bucky for an explanation then she watched as he pulled his glove off, revealing his metal hand. Her eyes widened and everything she had known changed.

            “It always ends in a fight.”

            Camelia screamed as the window shattered and a smoke grenade was thrown into the apartment. Steve and Bucky acted fast but she froze up completely.

            “ _Stay behind me, I’ll protect you.”_


End file.
